Short-term causes of Spanish Civil War ln Flashcards
1
Q
Political/ideological short-term causes
A
- Polarization of Politics: These trends in polarization between left and right were present around the world and were not unique to Spain. Although it could be stated that polarization acted as a catalyst towards conflict, its long-term importance should not be exaggerated as it only became apparent in the 1936 February elections where the anarchists refused to support the coalition.
- ‘Biennio negro’ - two black years – the right-wing had a victorious election and began to reverse the reforms made by the previous government – church was given control over education again, the clergy were paid by the government, land reform programmes were halted.
2
Q
Regional short-term causes
A
- Spanish government was weak – military turned against it -> lack of military power –> military coup on the 18th of July 1936.
- Failure of the coup shows the true extent of divisions between Spanish culture -> deep political polarization.
3
Q
Economic short-term causes
A
- The Great Depression: The economic downfall caused by the 1929 Market Crashed exacerbated the economic crisis in Spain.
- The Asturian Revolt/Crisis of 1934 was a major strike undertaken by regional miners against the 1933 Spanish general election, which redistributed political power from the leftists to conservatives in the Second Spanish Republic.
4
Q
Economic short-term causes
A
- Those who lived under awful conditions were as a result pushed politically to the left (socialism, anarchism) and to unionise. This can be seen in the Asturias Uprising where anarchist miners revolted as a result of low worker’s wages. 70% of workers were unionised. The brutal supression of this event intensified the growing polarisation of society.
- The reforms of the Popular Front government led to the anarchist CNT encouraging the peasants to take over land and the socialist UGT to call for a strike amongst the proletariat.
5
Q
Historiography: Paul Preston
A
